Heading down to Abaco, Cherokee specifically. Plan on mostly bone fishing. I have taken a few small sharks on the flats with a 9wt and it was a blast. This time my guide, Marty, says he can put me on bigger sharks (relative term). I will be using a 12wt Winston, BXII, # 7 Ross BG with 325 Yards of 30lb. Ok. so , best backing to line, line to leader, leader to wire thoughts. Thanks !!!
Mark

JR SPEY

04-27-2009, 04:15 PM

Heading down to Abaco, Cherokee specifically. Plan on mostly bone fishing. I have taken a few small sharks on the flats with a 9wt and it was a blast. This time my guide, Marty, says he can put me on bigger sharks (relative term). I will be using a 12wt Winston, BXII, # 7 Ross BG with 325 Yards of 30lb. Ok. so , best backing to line, line to leader, leader to wire thoughts. Thanks !!!
Mark

Actually, I don't think you have to do anything different until you get to the front of your leader. Probably the most practical connection between the backing and the line is to have a bimini in your backing followed by a three turn surgeon's loop over a folded bimini double line. That gives one two loops to use to connect with the whipped loop in the flyline. There are plenty of other options, and if done correctly they'll all hold so use what you're comfortable with. Use a whipped loop from the flyline to the leader butt, or simply tie an Albright connecting the two. The total length of your leader doesn't need to be much more than 7 feet or so because sharks are rarely leader shy. I'd use about 4' of 0.028" mono (I use Berkeley Big Game, but Ande's and others will work.) Then it gets interesting. I've started to use titanium wire for my tippets for sharks (25-50# depending upon the size/species of sharks being pursued,) cuda, and even muskies and northerns. I'd install about 18" of 10kg mono for a class tippet and then about the same amount of wire. Titanium wire knots quite well. Unfortunately, the knots don't quite close so they don't look trustworthy, but they will not slip. A back-to-back uni-knot will connect the class tippet to the wire well as will a two or three turn surgeon's. I use a figure eight knot to tie the titanium wire to the fly. Again, it won't quite close up tight, but it'll hold. Another option that is a lot easier but more expensive is to buy the Airflo Predator polyleaders. They are 7' long and have titanium wire that tests 40# all installed. They also have a high grade snap at the front so you really don't have to concern yourself with tying a single knot in the leader. I'm just stubborn enough about being involved in all aspects of fishing and preparation of gear that I normally tie all my own leaders, but the Predators are really nice and are probably going to be more reliable than what I build. Don't let anyone tell you that you only need 6" of wire. 18" is much better because most toothy critters can take a fly down quite aways before we get around to setting the hook. I lost two very nice (45"+) northerns in Alaska last year when they took all 18" and cut me off at the class tippet. Sharks and cudas will do the same.